Novelist to Author

Novelist to Author

Noah Lukeman's, The First Five Pages, is a must read.
From page 13:
"Agents and editors don't read manuscripts to enjoy them; they read solely with the goal of getting through the pile, solely with an eye to dismiss a manuscript--and believe me, they'll look for any reason they can, down to the last letter."

Wow! This book was a bit shocking, but as I read, I did not see myself as dumb as some to the persons Mr. Lukeman described.

Here are a few of his tips that I have pulled at random and to not portend to quote:
1. Mention in your submittal letter that your book is like a book that he handled in the past.
2. FedEx your MS.
3. Lazer print it. He has received dot matrix MSs.
4. Double space with one inch margins.
5. Frequent misuse of question marks and exclamation points.
6. Over use of adjectives and adverbs.
7. Poor sentence construction.
8. Make sure your comparisons, analogies, similes, and metaphors draw the picture that helps the reader not because you liked the sound of it.

Getting the drift?

My copy of this book has underlining throughout and reminders to go back to my current work and apply what has been revealed. Keep in mind that these are the first gatekeeping mistakes that will bring about a quick toss to the rejection pile. There is much more to this important book.

Russell